California Public Research Articles

Lehman Brothers: A License to Fail with Other People’s Money

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (“Lehman”) is the largest bankruptcy ever filed, with losses to investors, both small and large, totaling billions of dollars. In January 2008, Lehman Brothers, heavily invested in by pension plans such as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the New York State Teachers Retirement Plan, traded at a high of over $65 per share. At that time, Lehman reported record numbers of nearly $60 billion in revenue and more than $4 billion in earnings. However, a mere eight months later, Lehman’s stock was trading under $4 per share, and on September 12, 2008, Lehman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.The Bankruptcy Court appointed an Examiner to investigate and report on Lehman’s business affairs, with particular regard to “any fact ascertained pertaining to fraud, dishonesty, incompetence, misconduct, mismanagement, or irregularity in the management of the affairs of the debtor, or to a cause of action available to the estate.” The Examiner’s findings, taken at face value, reveal that the legal system that allowed Lehman’s failure will permit similar failures in the future because, for the most part, Lehman’s actions did not violate the law.This report explores Lehman’s risk management in a declining market and the valuation of its assets. Lehman, after recognizing the magnitude of the economic crisis, doubled-down on its risk, dramatically increasing the amount it was prepared to lose, while also disguising the declining value of its assets. These acts were not inadvertent, but rather were deliberate violations of internal risk limits and conscious overvaluations of its assets.

A Global Budget Pilot Project Among Provider Partners And Blue Shield Of California Led To Savings In First Two Years

Health care plans and providers in the private sector are developing alternative payment and delivery models to reduce spending and improve health care quality. To respond to intense competition from other organizations, Blue Shield of California created a partnership with health care providers to use an annual global budget for total expected spending and to share risk and savings among partners for providing health care. The patient population consisted of certain members of the California Public Employees' Retirement System in Northern California. Launched in 2010, the pilot accountable care organization in Sacramento provided a framework for operations and established goals and financial risk arrangements. The model shows early promise for its ease of implementation and effectiveness in controlling costs. During the two-year period, the total compound annual growth rate for per member per month cost was approximately 3 percent, or less than half the rate at which premiums rose over the past decade. Some of the savings stemmed from declines in inpatient lengths-of-stay and thirty-day readmission rates. Results suggest that the approach can achieve considerable financial savings in as little as one year and can gain wide acceptance from reform-minded providers.

Overburndened and Underfunded: California Public Schools Amidst the Great Recession

Since 2008, many nations, including the United States, have struggled with the effects of a global recession. The state of California has been particularly impacted by the Great Recession. Unemployment rates in California are among the highest in the United States, and a weak fiscal environment has forced deep cutbacks to a variety of state services. This study uses California as a case to explore the effects of economic crisis on public schools and the students they serve. The study draws on two years of survey and interview data with a representative sample of public school principals across California. The data show that, during the Great Recession, students have experienced growing social welfare needs that often shape their well-being and their performance in schools. We also find that the capacity of public schools to meet these needs and provide quality education has been eroded by budget cuts. This study finds that schools primarily serving low-income families have been hardest hit during the recession, in part because they cannot raise private dollars to fill the gap left by public sector cuts. The Great Recession thus has undermined educational quality while producing widening educational inequality in California.

Evidence of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Effectiveness in Reducing Genital Warts: An Analysis of California Public Family Planning Administrative Claims Data, 2007–2010

Because of the rapid development of genital warts (GW) after infection, monitoring GW trends may provide early evidence of population-level human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine effectiveness. Trends in GW diagnoses were assessed using public family planning administrative data. Between 2007 and 2010, among females younger than 21 years, these diagnoses decreased 35% from 0.94% to 0.61% (P(trend) < .001). Decreases were also observed among males younger than 21 years (19%); and among females and males ages 21-25 (10% and 11%, respectively). The diagnoses stabilized or increased among older age groups. HPV vaccine may be preventing GW among young people.

Masculinity Lockdown: The Formation of Black Masculinity in a California Public High School

AbstractMasculinity Lockdown is an ethnographic study that analyzes the construction of Black masculinity at Southeast County High School (SCHS) in Southern California. Specifically, the article examines how three young Black males at SCHS navigate amidst a social milieu established by the school that denies the assertion of race and simultaneously fosters a homophobic understanding of masculinity. Through ethnographic accounts, the piece details how explicit utilization of violent, sexist rhetoric encourages Black males to participate within a masculine performance that serves reinforce their oppression.

A Multifaceted Approach to Spreading Palliative Care Consultation Services in California Public Hospital Systems

Historically, California's 17 public hospital systems-those that are county owned and operated, and those University of California medical centers with the mandate to serve low income, vulnerable populations-have struggled to implement Palliative Care Consultation Services (PCCS)-this, despite demonstrated need for these services among the uninsured and Medicaid populations served by these facilities. Since 2008, through a collaborative effort of a foundation, a palliative care training center, and a nonprofit quality improvement organization, the Spreading Palliative Care in Public Hospitals initiative (SPCPH) has resulted in a 3-fold increase in the number of California public hospitals providing PCCS, from 4 to 12. The SPCPH leveraged grant funding, the trusted relationships between California public hospitals and their quality improvement organization, technical assistance and training, peer support and learning, and a tailored business case demonstrating the financial/resource utilization benefits of dedicated PCCS. This article describes the SPCPH's distinctive design, features of the public hospital PCCS, patient and team characteristics, and PCCS provider perceptions of environmental factors, and SPCPH features that promoted or impeded their success. Lessons learned may have implications for other hospital systems undertaking implementation of palliative care services.

Plug-In Electric Vehicles in California

California's emissions reduction goals for criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have encouraged policies that support plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). This paper explores current and planned policies that promote PEVs, potential emissions benefits from PEV adoption in California by 2020, and future policy directions. The reviewed policies include the zero-emission vehicle regulations, the low-carbon fuel standard, and the clean car standards, which all require GHG reductions. Policies prompted by the California Public Utilities Commission Alternative-Fueled Vehicle Rulemaking decision and existing and planned PEV incentive programs are among the forthcoming and expected policies that are discussed. An analysis was conducted to estimate and to value GHG and CAP emissions reductions from PEVs in California by 2020. Results of this analysis show that the reduction in tailpipe emissions dominate any added power plant emissions and value the benefits at $750 to $1,500 per vehicle in an expected PEV penetration scenario (where PEVs are predominantly plug-in hybrid vehicles) and $1,000 to $2,500 per vehicle in an aggressive penetration scenario (in which battery electric vehicles comprise one-third of all PEVs). The assignment of monetary value to benefits provided a basis for justifying future PEV subsidy programs. The policy review and emissions analysis set the stage for a discussion of California's PEV-related policy outlook, including possible policy directions that would coordinate PEV-related programs, distinguish electric fuel from electricity used for other purposes, and provide stable, long-term incentives for PEV deployment.

Evidence of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Effectiveness in Reducing Genital Warts: An Analysis of California Public Family Planning Administrative Claims Data, 2007–2010

Evidence of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Effectiveness in Reducing Genital Warts: An Analysis of California Public Family Planning Administrative Claims Data, 2007–2010

Alternate fuels: Calculating the value of rooftop solar

AbstractIn California, the price paid for renewable energy resources has historically been linked to the cost of energy from new natural gas—fired baseload plants, ostensibly to protect utility ratepayers from paying too much for renewable energy resources. Numerous new natural gas—fired plants have been authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in recent years.

Repeating Low-Positive Nucleic Acid Amplification Test Results for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Assessment of Current Practice in Selected California Public- and Private-Sector Laboratories

Routine repeat testing of specimens with a low-positive result for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is not recommended ([5][1]) because of the following. (i) The majority of positive specimens that are negative on confirmatory testing are true

Adoption of an Outdoor Residential Hall Smoking Policy in a California Public University: A Case Study

Objective: Because secondhand smoke is a public health concern, many colleges have adopted bans to ensure healthier environments. This study demonstrates how outdoor smoking policy change can be accomplished at a large public university. Participants: The participants were 1,537 students housed in residential communities at the University of California, Berkeley, who completed an online survey. Methods: A proposal for smoke-free residential communities that included student resident survey data was prepared. Results: The survey data indicated that most students (77%) were bothered by secondhand smoke, and most (66%) favored smoke-free environments. The data were used to advocate for a change in the residential community smoking policy. Conclusion: The survey data and institutional comparisons played a key role in administrators’ decision-making about campus smoking policy. Despite administrators’ concerns about students’ safety and freedom of choice, student-led advocacy was able to influence policy change.

MTBE in California's Public Drinking Water Wells: Have Past Predictions Come True?

Extensive water quality monitoring data in California are now available for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) that span the past 16 years. The statewide database includes most of the active (and some inactive) public drinking water wells in the state, most of which have been repeatedly sampled for MTBE during 1995 to 2010. The cumulative detection frequency of MTBE in public drinking water wells in California at any concentration level is approximately 1.6% and 0.9% based on a one-detection criterion and two-detection criterion, respectively. The detection frequency of MTBE is approximately two to three times lower at concentrations above the state drinking water standards. Since 1996, the annual detection frequency of MTBE at any concentration level has ranged from 0.4 to 0.9% (one-detection criterion) and 0.2% to 0.7% (two-detection criterion). Despite repeated sampling, MTBE has been detected in only 1 or 2 years for most public drinking water wells that have ever been found to contain MTBE at any concentration level. The annual average detected concentration of MTBE has ranged from 5 to 16 μg/L (arithmetic mean) and 2 to 5.5 μg/L (median), excluding two outlier samples. MTBE detections are more prevalent in select geographic locations, rather than widespread across the entire state. The cumulative detection frequency for MTBE is approximately 1% for wells that belong to very small and small public drinking water systems (i.e., that serve between 25 and 3,300 people) and is approximately 2% for wells that belong to large and very large public drinking water systems (i.e., that serve >10,000 people). No detections of tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) were found from 1996 to 2000, although few samples of TBA were collected during this time period. From 2001 to 2010, the cumulative detection frequency of TBA in public drinking water wells in California at any concentration level was approximately 1.4% and 0.2% based on a one-detection criterion and two-detection criterion, respectively. The cumulative detection frequency of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in public drinking water wells in California is at least six times greater than that of MTBE and TBA, and unlike the trends observed for MTBE and TBA, PCE is often consistently detected in the same wells over time. The results of this analysis can be used to assess historical and current detections of MTBE in public drinking water wells in California. Also, if coupled with other chemical and site-specific information, the results can be used to assess potential future impacts of MTBE on drinking water supplies.

Discourses of Racist Nativism in California Public Education: English Dominance as Racist Nativist Microaggressions

This article uses a Latina/o critical theory framework (LatCrit), as a branch of critical race theory (CRT) in education, to understand how discourses of racist nativism—the institutionalized ways people perceive, understand and make sense of contemporary US immigration, that justifies native (white) dominance, and reinforces hegemonic power—emerge in California public K–12 education for Chicana students. I use data from 40 testimonio interviews with 20 undocumented and US-born Chicana students, to show how racist nativist discourses have been institutionalized in California public education by English hegemony, that maintains social, political, and economic dominance over Latina/o students and communities, regardless of actual nativity. Teacher practices of English dominance is a manifestation of this hegemony that can be articulated by the concept of racist nativist microaggression—systemic, everyday forms of racist nativism that are subtle, layered, and cumulative verbal and non-verbal assaults directed toward People of Color.

O1-S02.04 Evidence of HPV vaccine effectiveness in reducing genital warts: an analysis of California Public Family Planning Administrative Claims Data, 2007–2009

BackgroundThe quadrivalent HPV vaccine, available in the US since 2006, is recommended for females age 9–26. This vaccine prevents HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts...

Who Can Restore Equity in Private-Public Employee Compensation?

THE CALIFORNIA Journal of Politics & Policy Commentary Who Can Restore Equity in Private- Public Employee Compensation? Joe Nation* Stanford University Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research has recently issued two reports on the condition of public em- ployee pension funds in California. The first identified a $425 billion funding shortfall for three state pension sys- tems: the California Public Employees’ Retirement Sys- tem, California State Teachers’ Retirement System, and the University of California Retirement System. The sec- ond found a nearly $200 billion shortfall for local govern- ment pension systems. Both reports focused on the overall financial health of pension systems in California but did not touch on retiree benefit levels. It’s time to begin that conversation. www.bepress.com/cjpp Volume 3, Issue 2, 2011 Discussing public employee retirement benefits is dan- gerous politically. So let’s start with the legal status of ben- efits owed to public employees. Public employee retirement benefits are legally pro- tected. Period. Case and contract law guarantee retirement pay, even in obscene cases where public employees double dip (i.e., collect a large pension from one or more employ- ers and work at full salary for another). If the public is angry about benefit levels or double dippers, we shouldn’t blame public employees, but the political leaders who ap- prove benefits that are excessive and unsustainable. I may have a unique perspective on this issue because every member of my immediate family has worked in public service. My mother is a retired school librarian; my younger brother works as a firefighter/paramedic; an older * A former Democratic state lawmaker, Joe Nation is Professor of the Practice of Public Policy at Stanford Uni- versity. An earlier version of this article was published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Preparing a People: Climate Change and Public Health

Almost 700 people died from heat-related stress during the catastrophic 1995 heat wave in Chicago, Illinois.1 The three-day weather event saw 24-hour mean average temperatures of 87.2°F; the heat reached triple digits on two days, and there was little relief at night.2 Many people succumbed to heart attack and dehydration, while others collapsed during severe episodes of existing respiratory conditions.3 The death toll in the summer of 1995 gave Chicagoans a clear picture of how a surge in hot weather can affect human health. A decade later, Mayor Richard Daley launched an extensive program that brought together city agencies, academics, and scientists to develop a Climate Change Action Plan to help reduce the city’s contribution to climate change.4 Much of the plan focuses on sustainable mitigation actions such as planting trees and training workers to install renewable energy technologies. Within that plan, however, is a climate change adaptation strategy with a goal of preparing the city and its residents for future unusual weather events associated with climate change.5 Chicago is one of several large cities with climate action plans in place—others include New York City, San Francisco, Sydney, and Mexico City.6 Like Chicago’s, these plans promote mitigation and sustainability. Much of the adaptation portion of these initiatives is aimed at the built environment—buildings, highways, and facilities. But officials in these cities are beginning to talk about the public health cobenefits from their action plans, and public health advocates are speaking up and pushing for programs designed to prepare for or prevent climate-sensitive disease and illness.

Institutional Investor Corporate Engagement Theory: An Empirical Review of the Calpers Focus List Program

The institutional investor corporate engagement theory holds that investors may use their position of ownership to monitor and engage corporations within which they are invested in order to better align managers’ interests with their interests. The financialization of pension funds has generated a group of institutional investors interested in long-term fundamental corporate value. The maintenance of long-term value often requires good corporate governance as the two are positively correlated. Institutional investors, notably pension funds, are increasingly resorting to corporate engagement initiatives to ensure that good corporate governance practices and structures are implemented within corporations in which they are invested. The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) has been a market leader in corporate engagement. The success of the CalPERS program has not yet been investigated with respect to its stated objectives. By conducting an industry-matched control group based investigation over a 15 year study period (1992-2006) it has been determined that the CalPERS corporate governance engagement program is a success. Corporations which were once financially under-performing report industry-specific average 1, 3, and 5-year shareowner returns post-engagement (p

The Last Supper

Texas, home to cattle ranches and more death-row executions than any other state, doesn’t allow steak for a final meal. If you order steak in Texas, you get hamburger. I have always been focused on food. As a kid, I won eating contests; these days I grow organic produce. The years I spent in Oklahoma, which has the highest per capita rate of executions, turned my interest in food toward final meals. The Last Supper is a series of ceramic plates illustrating final meal requests in the United States. Starting in Norma, Oklahoma in 1999, I have painted 420 plates to date. I plan to continue adding fifty more each year until capital punishment is abolished. When looking at the inmates’ humble choices, it is important to note that while rituals and traditions vary, most states limit final-meal allowances to twenty dollars. Maryland is the only state that does not allow any meal selection. A last cigarette is permitted in some prisons. Alcohol is prohibited in all. Texas denies bubble gum. Sometimes requests provide clues about personality, race, and region. An Oregon inmate’s final meal request closed with “I would appreciate the eggs hot.” And who wouldn’t? The Last Supper plates have travelled to nine states and the UK. The project has been included in the book Confrontational Ceramics by Judith Schwartz, on the radio program The Splendid Table and on Southern California Public Radio.

Creating Opportunities for Training California's Public Health Workforce

Today there are significant challenges to public health, and effective responses to them will require complex approaches and strategies implemented by a qualified workforce. An adequately prepared workforce requires long-term development; however, local health departments have limited financial and staff resources. Schools and programs accredited by the Council for Education on Public Health (CEPH) are required to provide continuing education but are constrained by the lack of resources, limited time, and geography. To meet these challenges, a statewide university/community collaborative model for delivering continuing education programs was developed. A needs assessment of California's public health workforce was conducted to identify areas of interest, and two continuing education trainings were developed and implemented using innovative distance education technology. Thirty-six percent of the participants completed electronic evaluations of learning outcomes and use of the digital technology platform. Participants indicated a significant increase in knowledge, reported that the trainings were cost effective and convenient, and said that they would participate in future online trainings. Collaborative partners found that this model provides a cost-effective, environmentally sound, and institutionally sustainable method for providing continuing education to public health professionals. Offering continuing education via distance technology requires substantial institutional infrastructure and resources that are often beyond what many public institutions can provide alone. This project provides a model for collaborating with community partners to provide trainings, using a digital technology platform that requires minimal training and allows presenters and participants to log on from anywhere there is Internet access.

Writing and Time, Time and the Essay

I mid-May, I got to speak to an audience of student writers at DePaul University in Chicago. My youngest daughter Paige graduated from DePaul a couple years ago, so the trip was tinted with nostalgia. Paige now lives in Los Angeles, where she writes for Southern California Public Radio and additionally toils from 5:00 to 8:00 am at a Beverly Hills dog kennel. She can attest that the poop from dogs of B-list movie stars smells the same as the poop from your dogs.1 Still, as I told those students, Paige is making money as a writer, and these days that might strike some people as a little exotic and odd. Ours is largely an age of sound and image, YouTube and Instagram, where writing gets dolloped in tapas-sized scoops, where reading is snacking except for occasionally following the exploits of dragon-tattooed girls or teenaged archers in a society that makes kids kill each other. Sure, there’s lots of writing going on. It’s just that relatively little of it happens in extended chunks drafted and revised over time. We link and comment. We master the bon mot, we excel at snark. For every fledgling essayist or memoirist, there are a thousand status updaters, tweeters, and pinners. Of course, that ratio has probably been true for decades or centuries. But what’s striking about our current times is the seeming cultural desire to begrudge writing in general, to wish it away, to hope it simply pops up when we need it, to have it done quickly, for a quick fix, then on to the next thing. As I mingled with young writers that pleasant night in Lincoln Park, I contrasted their spirit with one just a couple miles south, on Wacker Drive, at the edge of the Chicago loop. A company there is called Narrative Science, and its motto is “We transform data into stories and insight.” Their home page is worth considering at some length: